Don’t leave children alone with dogs

Last week Sunday PUNCH reported the story of a nursing mother who left a four-month-old baby and her house help in the car, while she dashed into a nearby store to buy groceries.

As soon as she was out of sight, the dog attempted to attack the nanny. Perhaps out of fear, the nanny ran into the mall to call her madam, leaving the helpless infant with the ravenous dog. A few minutes later, they both returned to the car to discover that the dog had ripped open the baby’s stomach!

According to this report, the nanny, who identified herself as Chioma Chindu, told the angry crowd her side of the story.

“Na Madam carry dog put for car and talk say make I stay inside car with dog and baby. Madam talk say she dey carry dog go veterinary clinic.

“Na as I sit inside car the dog move close and want to bite Chinonso (baby). I shout when I see say the dog open him mouth. As I shout, the dog no hear me and I come run comot make I go call Madam. But she dey inside supermarket and no hear me. She no come outside here on time…”

So sad! I extend my sincere condolence to the family at this time. However, you will agree with me that if the necessary precaution was taken, this incidence could have been averted. In addition, the big question is, who do you feel should be held responsible for this incidence?

Well, according to the American Animal Hospital Association’s encyclopaedia of the dog health and care, “Dogs are not able to think and reason in the same way that we can; they do not have human logic. If a dog is isolated, its tendency to become aggressive greatly increases.”

This implies that in our current case study, when the dog saw its owner leave the car and walked away into the store, it felt isolated and developed some sort of separation anxiety. Afterwards, it began to feel scared. A dog that is afraid can elicit an aggressive behaviour.

If you find yourself in the position of the owner of the dog and the baby, I will recommend that you remain with your dog in the car, instead of leaving the dog with an unfamiliar individual. However, this incidence, though sad, should not scare us from maintaining cordial relationship with a dog. Neither should it increase our space between every dog that walks past us on the street. Rather, I see this as a wake-up call to a more responsible parenting, pet ownership, and implementation of relevant safety measures when we are around these creatures.

Children should not be encouraged to play outdoors in an environment where a strange dog is present. If they must, they should never be left unsupervised. Also, you should teach them to realise that the fact that they can play with their own pets does not mean they can do so with any other pet they see.

They should be taught to always ask for permission from the owner of the dog before they pet a dog; and they should never approach a barking, growling or scared dog.

Please, always respect a dog’s space. Keep your hands away from a dog’s fence or kennel. Dogs are territorial and they consider their living areas as their personal property and may growl or bite to protect it.

A dog should be kept on a leash when it is out in a public place. However, if you see a dog wandering loose without the owner, do not attempt to run away, and do not make loud noises.

Sylvia Wilson, author of the book, Bite busters, recommends a non-aggressive approach when it comes to warding off an attack by a dog. This approach is called the ‘stand right, no bite’ technique.

The basics are: when under an attack or treat, do not pat the dog, do not look into the dog’s eyes, never attempt to hit the dog. If attacked, stand completely still, and do not display any threatening or provocative action.

Finally, I encourage you to visit www.punchng.com, and search for a few of my related articles on the current subject.

On February 21, 2014, I wrote an article entitled, “Prevent yourself from dog bites.” On August 29, 2014, I wrote another article entitled, “Avoid strange dogs.” On March 19, 2015, I wrote yet another article entitled, “Don’t be a victim of dog bites.” These materials contain very useful resources that will be relevant whenever the need arises.

Please, don’t wait for an incident to occur. Remember the adage, “We prepare for war during peace.”

Have a beautiful weekend!

NB: I apologise for not bringing you the concluding part of the series, “First aid for common pet emergencies,” which I began last week. This is due to the immediate need to address some issues on the current incident as stated already. I will be concluding on last week’s discussion next week. Thank you for your understanding.